Consumer item

ABSTRACT

A process for producing or packing an item with a limited period of use or interest, e.g. a regularly issued periodical or foodstuffs to be consumed within a limited time, in which the consumer item or its packaging is fitted by adhesive means or other means of attachment with a timer having an indication which, close to the time of the production of the consumer item (2), especially at the time of securing to the consumer item or its packing, is set and/or otherwise configured to synchronize its indicator with the actual time, and consumer items produced by the process.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a process for producing or packing an item witha limited period of use or interest and a consumer item producedaccording to this process.

The printing of the date of production onto consumer goods (e.g.foodstuffs, medicaments, pharmaceutical products, film material, dyes,adhesives etc. which have a limited period of use), or onto thepackaging thereof is known. The date of issue is also indicated onjournals and papers thereby providing information on the actual date.

A due date, is, moreover indicated on many consumer goods which providesinformation on how long they can be preserved, but which does not givean indication of the actual time (and thus no indication on the realdegree of freshness).

DE-OS 30 48 426 also discloses a process for detecting the actual stateof an item of consumption. Here, a mark is arranged on the item ofconsumption, whose characteristics change under the conditions in whichthe product to be controlled changes from a state of usability into onein which it is no longer fit for use. In order to ascertain the state ofusability, this mark must be combined with a separate sensing unit. Thisknown arrangement has the disadvantage that the actual time when theconsumer item was first used cannot be ascertained and that anadditional costly analysis has to be carried out in order to obtainclear information on the condition of the item.

Furthermore, a process is known from DE-OS 30 28 808 which enables asubsequent determination of the time of opening of a package ofmedicaments in order to control the use thereof. The packaging has aplurality of individual cavities separated from the outside air and fromone another and a film closing these cavities. In order to remove thedrugs, this film is broken thereby enabling the cavity to come intocontact with the outside air. Depending on the length of exposure, theeffect of the outside air changes the chemical and physicalcharacteristics of a control substance additionally present in thecavities. The evaluation off the changed characteristics serves todetermine the time of opening of the packaging of drugs. This process,however, requires a costly analysis which is a disadvantage and can,moreover, only be carried out with considerable expertise and istherefore quite unsuitable for universal use.

No known solution can provide information on the degree of freshness ofthe item in question without using an additional device.

All the known prior art devices for marking consumer goods have thedisadvantage that they are unable to indicate to the consumer, in aclear, accurate and verifiable manner, the current state of these goods,especially if there is a particularly close time range between theproduction and use thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Starting from the deficiencies of prior art, the invention has theobject of developing a process which provides a consumer item with atimer for a limited period of use so that a time may be deduced whichalso informs on the current degree of validity or freshness of the goodswithout using additional means.

The invention is based on the finding that it is possible to indicatethe current degree of validity of a consumer item with a limited rangeof validity in an advantageous and particularly cost-effective manner,if a timer is arranged thereon in close combination with the time ofproduction off the consumer item, and that this timer may be configuredduring the manufacturing process for the purpose off giving a timeindication.

As this enables the continuous comparison with the actual time, acontrol of the operational accuracy of the timer is also possible insuch cases when an automatic control of the freshness of the consumeritem is needed because a specified period of time has expired (state ofa time check which started with count "0" when the timer wasconfigured), i.e. when, after reaching a specified count, a displaymeans is activated by the timer which also controls the indication ofthe actual time. In this case, a comparison of the time indication,starting at 0, with the actual time always enables a control of thetimer and the standard time affecting the timer.

Because of the range of validity of the consumer item which is oftenlimited, the timer does not normally have to meet any specialrequirements with regard to accuracy, so that timers may be used whichare simple in construction and not very high cost, especially as aresult of dispensing with external adjustment means. Therefore, they maybe manufactured at an extremely low cost and arranged during manufactureat a suitable spot on the consumer item, without additional cost.Furthermore, in many applications, the timer only needs to be designedfor a short working time so that the energy requirement for theoperation of the timer can, advantageously, be kept extremely low.During the manufacturing cycle of the consumer item, the timer is, atthe same time, also set in operation in an accurate position forindicating the time.

In advantageous embodiments of the invention, the timer is equipped witha digital and/or an analogue display. The timer with a digital display,has, preferably, a counter controlled by a clock. Here, preferably, thecontrol lines leading to the input of a counter each have bridgeablecontact regions. At the end of the manufacturing process of the consumeritem, the counter (and therefore the corresponding display) may easilybe set to the (clock) time of manufacture by printing over these contactpoints in certain control leads, for example by means of a conductiveprinting ink.

The display additionally indicates the actual time. Thus, from thebeginning of its manufacture, the timer is synchronised with the time.As the manufacture of a large number of serial products increases, thetime configuration of the timer accordingly follows the actual time.

When a timer with analogue display is used, the consumer item isprovided, already during the manufacturing process, with a simple dial,in the centre of which there is, at the end of the manufacturingprocess, a corresponding analogue clock module of the actual time of dayprovided with pointers and which is operated by means of a switchingprocess. The analogue clock module is, advantageously, set in operationby closing or opening a contact bridge on the module, accessible fromoutside. The time of setting the module in operation is, at the sametime, marked on the dial. The actual time and the time that has elapsedsince the manufacture of the consumer item can be read together.

As the configuration of the timer takes place in relation to the time ofmanufacture of the consumer item provided with the timer, it ispossible, with respect to time, to adapt the timer to advantage to thespecial characteristics of the consumer item. A bridging of dividingstages in the frequency divider of the timer may, in this way, affecte.g. the running speed and thus also the temporal resolution of thetimer. Furthermore, additional display means may be activated which areoperated by corresponding sensors if the consumer item is subjected toharmful influences. Because the timer is configured when applied to theconsumer item at the time of manufacture or packaging, uniformlypackaged timers may correspondingly be adapted during the application tothe corresponding characteristics of the commodities receiving them.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, thetimer is constructed as a system operating on a chemical basis andhaving a display track provided with a time scale. The display track isprepared with a substance which is suitable for initiating a chemicalprocess upon supply of a further substance. The two chosen substancesare such that a clearly recognisable colour change occurs whichcontinues along the display track when a chemical reaction takes place.The display track and time scale may be attached to the consumer item,by means of pressure and/or gluing. The additional substance producingthe colour change is introduced into the display track at the pointwhich corresponds to the time of manufacture, at the end of the processfor manufacturing the consumer item. In this way, upon completion of theprocess, it is easy to read both the time of manufacture and the actualtime of day. The display track of the timer applied to the consumer itemmay either be of an elongated or a curved construction.

In a further advantageous development of the invention, the timer isconstructed as a system operating on a physical basis. Here, the timedisplay is advantageously effected by a coloured liquid which istransported from a high-pressure container to an equalising containervia a meander-shaped capillary. The transport of fluid is able to startwhen the system is no longer closed to the atmosphere, preferably withinthe region of the equalising container. The meander-shaped capillary iselongated or arranged on a circular track. The meander shape of thecapillary is of advantage if the realisable time range is to beincreased. A timescale arranged parallel to the display trackadvantageously enables the display of the time of manufacture and theactual time of day.

Consumer items with a very limited time of interest such as journals andpapers e.g. dailies, or products which carry a guarantee of freshnessare provided with a timer of the above kind. The arrangement of thetimer on the front page at the top close to the date is particularlyadvantageous in the case of dailies. Without additional cost, however,it is also possible to arrange the timer at a suitable spot on selectedinside pages of the daily which increases the utility value of theprinted product.

In the case of consumer items with a special "freshness-image",preferably milk products, it may be of advantage to arrange the timer onthe top of the container in question, since it is immediately visible tothe consumer and, apart from the actual purpose of indicating the age ofthe product, it may take over an advertising function by reminding theuser of interval times and the like.

The timer is applied, at least partially, by means of printing or bytransfer, more particularly from a film substrate, optionally also by asimultaneous or sequential application of several layers.

In a preferred embodiment, the display, more particularly in the form ofline codes, i.e. display devices adjustable by electronic means, may beeffected so as to be read mechanically. The state of the consumer itemsin question may, therefore, be controlled at any time automatically(without human activity) using mechanical means (for example inautomatic goods distribution systems). Because of the time displaygiven, when compared with the actual time, it is thereby also possibleto ascertain whether the running of the timer applied to the consumeritem has been correct since configuration.

A number of further advantageous options exist in another embodiment ofthe timer:

The display may, for example, consist of flat parts or segments whichchange their reflection or absorptive capacity or colouring as afunction of an applied electric voltage. The existing energy source cantherefore be largely preserved resulting in long periods of use.

In order to monitor the goods, the timer is, preferably, provided atleast with one additional display element, the input of which isconnected with the output of a storage element which in turn is set by athreshold circuit if the output signal of a sensor element connectedwith the input of the threshold circuit goes above or below apredetermined value. Here, a sensor element responds preferably totemperature, pressure, or ground forces, radiation and/or chemicalcharacteristics of the surrounding medium.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The present invention may be better understood and its numerous objectsand advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art byreference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numeralsrefer to like elements in the several figures and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a digital timer in accordance with thepresent invention,

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a timer operating on a chemical basisin accordance with the present invention,

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a timer operating on a physical basisin accordance with the present invention,

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an alternate embodiment of the timer ofFIG. 2,

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an alternate embodiment of the timer ofFIG. 1,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a journal havingthe timer of FIG. 2,

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a dairy product having the timer of FIG.5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The timer, shown in FIG. 1, consists of a small compact digital clockmodule 15, which has a counter 3 controlled by a clock generator 17 anda display 4 connected with the counter. The individual control lines 5of the additional input 21 of the counter 3 have bridgeable contactpoint 6, constructed so as to be connectable by a conductive print.During the manufacturing process of the consumer item the timer 1 isattached to the consumer item and, upon completion, set in operation bythe conductive print of two contact pairs 6. The bridging 18 of theadditional inputs "1" and "4" sets the counter 3 to 5 o'clock, the timeof completion of the manufacture, which is indicated in the displayportion 19. Based on this time, the display portion 20 indicates theactual time of day. The degree of validity of the consumer item can nowbe read by a simple comparison. In order to keep the manufacturing costsfor the digital clock module 15 especially low, the timer 1 has noexternal actuating means and only one time display divided into fullhours. The timers 1 shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 operate as a chemical systemand largely consist of a display track 11 with which a timescale 9 issuitably associated. The components 9 and 11 of the timer 1 are fittedto the consumer item, by means of printing and/or gluing, within aregion subsequently easily visible to the consumer, while the consumeritem is being manufactured. The display track 11 consists of afleece-like material impregnated with a substance. This substance,together with an additional substance, starts a chemical reaction whichis accompanied by a clearly recognisable colour change. When themanufacturing process of the consumer item is completed, the additionalsubstance is introduced into the display track 11 at the injection point8 corresponding to the actual time (24 hours), and the display track 11is simultaneously divided by a separation point 7 into two portions. Thecolour change triggered off by the chemical reaction can, therefore,only spread in one direction. The end 12 of the changed colour area 10,when compared with the adjacent timescale 9, makes it possible, at thesame time, to read the actual time of day and the degree of validity ofthe consumer item. According to its purpose, the timescale 9 only has afairly rough 1.5 hour division. In a suitable further construction ofthe timer 1 as shown in FIG. 4 diagrammatically, the display track 11and the timescale 9 are circular and the user has largely the impressionof reading a traditional clock. In chemically operating timers, achromatographic process is preferably used, in which a distinctlycoloured chemical substance, applied in the form of a dot, is slowlymoved away in a predetermined direction, together with a carrier medium.

FIG. 3 shows a timer 1 which operates by physical means and is in theform of a high-pressure system with respect to the atmosphere. In apressure container 22, there is a coloured liquid. A meander-shapedcapillary 23 which, itself, opens into an equalising container 24 isconnected to the pressure container 22. The capillary 23 is arranged onan elongated display track 11 and the liquid slowly passes through it inthe direction of the equalising container 24, when said container isconnected with the surrounding atmosphere by being pierced or torn. Thistakes place at the beginning of the manufacturing process. The shapingof the meander makes it possible suitably to determine the time range onthe display track 11, based on the product, which time range is markedby the fluid issuing from the pressure container 20. The timer 1 andtimescale 9 are secured to the consumer item by pressure and arranged soas to be offset with respect to one another in the longitudinaldirection in order to be able to indicate the time of manufacture (21hours) and the actual time of day (about 9 o'clock) by means of thisrelative positioning.

An embodiment of a timer 1 with an analogue clock module display 14 isshown diagrammatically in FIG. 5. During the manufacture of the consumeritem, the dial 13 is mounted by pressure and the clock module 14 issuitably placed inside the dial 13 at the end of the manufacturingprocess. By simultaneously separating an electric bridge 16, the module13 is set in operation and this point of time is permanently fixed by amark 19.

Thus, time of manufacture, actual time and degree of validity may easilybe read.

Here, the time display is also in a 1-hour cycle. FIG. 6 shows aconsumer item 2 in the form of a daily paper provided with a timer 1.The timer 1 is in the form of a chemically operating system anddisplayed on the front page of the daily 2 above the date. This dailywas printed at 0.00 o'clock on 26 Jan. 1992. The timer 1, in operationsince the printing of the daily 2, continuously informs the reader ofthe actual time of day. Because of its flexibility, the timer 1operating on a chemical basis is particularly suitable for use inprinted material, since it fulfils the technological conditions of theprinting process without any special precautions being necessary.

Another embodiment of a timer 1 with an analogue display, as shown inFIG. 7 diagrammatically, is arranged on the top 21 of the packaging of adairy product 2. The timer 1 consists of the dial 13 and the clockmodule 14 (illustrated more clearly in FIG. 5) and is assembled in twodifferent operations during the manufacturing cycle of the consumer item2. At the end of the manufacturing cycle, the clock module is set inoperation and this time is simultaneously marked on the dial. Mark 19shows the consumer that in this case the product 2 was produced at 4o'clock in the morning and that it is fresh and at this moment onlyabout four hours old. The timer 1 can, moreover, also be arranged on thetop of re-usable bottles and may simultaneously be used to indicateinterval times and the like in an effective advertising manner.

The invention is not restricted in its configuration to the preferredexemplary embodiment specified above. Rather, a number of variants whichmake use of the solution described are conceivable, even in the case ofconfigurations of a fundamentally different type. The timers may, inparticular, also consist of elements which produce a colour change atspecified times, this colour change being associated, for example, witha timescale. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the presentinvention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation.

I claim:
 1. A process for producing or packing an item with a limitedperiod of use or interest, more particularly a regularly appearingpublication or foodstuffs to be consumed within a short time, in whichthe item or the packaging thereof is fitted, by adhesive means or othermeans of attachment, with a timer providing a display with a time rangeadapted to the period of use or interest of the item, or an adaptedenergy source, and in which the timer, close to the time of productionof the item, especially at the time of combining the timer with the itemor its packaging, is set and/or configured wherein the improvementcomprises that the timer is set and/or configured so that its display issynchronized with the actual time, and that, at the same time, there isan indication of the time of production.
 2. A process according to claim1, wherein the configuration of said timer for synchronizing it with theactual time is effected by a suitable relative positioning of ananalogue time indicator having a timescale.
 3. A process according toclaim 1, wherein said timer, at the time of its attachment to theconsumer item or its packaging, is individually configured.
 4. A processaccording to claim 1, characterized in that an electronically operatingtimer is set in operation by disconnecting an electrically conductivebridge or by an electrically conductive bridging of a separation pointwhich establishes, in particular, the connection with an electric energysource.
 5. A process according to claim 1, wherein a chemically operatedtimer is set in operation by supplying an additional chemical substance.6. A process according to claim 2, wherein said timescale is produced byprinting the consumer item or its packaging.
 7. A process according toclaim 4, wherein said electrically conductive bridging is effected by aconductive print.
 8. A process according to claim 1, wherein said timeris applied, at least partially, by printing or by transfer, moreparticularly from a film carrier.
 9. A process according to claim 1,wherein a plurality of said timers are configured directly beforecombining the individual timers to form inter-related groups.
 10. Aprocess according to claim 1, wherein said timer is applied by asimultaneous or sequential application of a plurality of layers.
 11. Aconsumer item which has a fixedly mounted timer providing a display,having an energy source and a time display range adapted to the time ofuse or interest of the item and which has means for setting and/orconfiguring the timer to synchronize it with the actual time, and forindicating the time of production.
 12. A consumer item according toclaim 11, wherein said timer is provided with a clock module which has areadable display.
 13. A consumer item according to claim 11, whereinsaid timer is in the form of a chemical system.
 14. A consumer itemaccording to claim 13, wherein said display is effected by means of acolor change produced by chemical reaction on a display track having atimescale which provides, in particular, a chromatographically movingmark for indicating the time.
 15. A consumer item according to claim 11,wherein said timer is in the form of a high-pressure system having afirst container filled with a colored liquid, and a second equalizingcontainer which is connected with said first container via ameander-shaped capillary.
 16. A consumer item according to claim 14,wherein said timer is constructed so as to be actuable by dispensingwith its seclusion with respect to the atmosphere.
 17. A consumer itemaccording to claim 11, wherein said timer also comprises a rectilineartimescale.
 18. A consumer item according to claim 11, wherein said timeralso comprises a timescale in the form of a dial.
 19. A consumer itemaccording to claim 13, wherein said display consists of flat parts orsegments which change their reflection or absorptive capacity orcoloring as a function of an applied electric voltage.
 20. A consumeritem according to any one of claims 11, said timer is arranged at thetop of a daily periodical, more particularly near the date given.
 21. Aconsumer item according to claim 11, wherein said timer is arranged on afilm-like carrier which simultaneously serves as an advertising carrier.22. A consumer item according to claim 11, wherein said timer has atleast one additional display element, whose input is connected with theoutput of a storage element which is set in turn by a threshold circuitwhen the output signal of a sensor element connected with the input ofthe threshold circuit goes above or below a predetermined value.
 23. Aconsumer item according to claim 22, wherein said sensor elementresponds to temperature, humidity, pressure, radiation or chemicalproperties of the surrounding medium, or the expiry of a specifiedperiod since the configuration of the timer.
 24. A consumer itemaccording to claim 11, wherein said timer is a system operating on aphysical basis.